Li Panchun, Zhu Kunjie, Mo Yongzhen, Deng Xiangying, Jiang Xianjie, Shi Lei, Guo Can, Zhang Wenling, Zeng Zhaoyang, Li Guiyuan, Xiong Wei, Zhang Shanshan, Gong Zhaojian
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Front Oncol. 2021 Apr 29;11:616202. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2021.616202. eCollection 2021.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel type of non-coding RNAs. Because of their characteristics of a closed loop structure, disease- and tissue-specificity, and high conservation and stability, circRNAs have the potential to be biomarkers for disease diagnosis. Head and neck cancers are one of the most common malignant tumors with high incidence rates globally. Affected patients are often diagnosed at the advanced stage with poor prognosis, owing to the concealment of anatomic sites. The characteristics, functions, and specific mechanisms of circRNAs in head and neck cancers are increasingly being discovered, and they have important clinical significance for the early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis evaluation of patients with cancer. In this study, the generation, characteristics, and functions of circRNAs, along with their regulatory mechanisms in head and neck cancers have been summarized. We report that circRNAs interact with molecules such as transcription and growth factors to influence specific pathways involved in tumorigenesis. We conclude that circRNAs have an important role to play in the proliferation, invasion, metastasis, energy and substance metabolism, and treatment resistance in cancers.
环状RNA（circRNAs）是一类新型的非编码RNA。由于其具有闭环结构、疾病和组织特异性以及高度保守性和稳定性等特点，circRNAs有潜力成为疾病诊断的生物标志物。头颈癌是全球发病率最高的常见恶性肿瘤之一。由于解剖部位隐匿，受影响的患者常被诊断为晚期，预后较差。circRNAs在头颈癌中的特征、功能和具体机制正越来越多地被发现，它们对癌症患者的早期诊断、治疗和预后评估具有重要的临床意义。在本研究中，总结了circRNAs在头颈癌中的产生、特征和功能及其调控机制。我们报告circRNAs与转录和生长因子等分子相互作用，以影响肿瘤发生中涉及的特定途径。我们得出结论，circRNAs在癌症的增殖、侵袭、转移、能量和物质代谢以及治疗抗性中发挥着重要作用。
